A recent study from Boston University and Abraxis LLC discovered troubling levels of glyphosate in honey – including “organic” honey. Glyphosate is the main ingredient in Monsanto’s toxic Roundup herbicide. The researchers tested five different types of food products for contamination: honey, corn and pancake syrup, soy milk, tofu, and soy sauce. All samples were taken from metropolitan Philadelphia grocery stores. The most shocking results were found in honey. Specifically, out of 69 samples, including 11 taken from organic honey, the researchers found: 62 percent of conventional honey and 45 percent of organic honey contained glyphosate at unsafe levels. All the food items were analyzed for glyphosate residue using ELISA testing. Glyphosate residues above minimal allowable limits were not detected in the pancake or corn syrup, soy milk, or tofu. The complete survey is HERE.

Note: Countries that have allowed GM crops had the most contaminated honey. Surprise! The honey with the greatest levels of contamination were found in the U.S. A glaring truth that the ‘Just Label It’ crowd consistently ignores or minimizes is the fact that glyphosate is contaminating food products around the globe. Labels are not going to solve the contamination problem. Roundup and GMOs are a marriage made in hell. Whenever GMO crops are allowed to freely flourish, glyphosate contamination of the non-GMO food supply will soon follow.

From Sustainable Pulse Director Henry Rowlands: “This sad news shows just how widespread glyphosate is in our food. With the increase in GM crops being cultivated worldwide it is becoming increasingly difficult to avoid. If you ask anyone if they feel there should be ‘allowed’ levels of toxic chemicals such as glyphosate in their bodies the answer will of course always be ‘No’. It is a fact that the scientific and regulatory process cannot evidence ‘safe’ levels for these chemicals.”

Bottom line: We are in big trouble. Roundup and other glyphosate containing products are slowly degrading and severely compromising human health.

Several plausible causes behind the contamination of organic honey have been proposed.

First, since honey bees routinely travel up to six miles looking for nectar, and bring back 250 pounds of nectar per year, it’s a given the bees will eventually encounter flowers and plants and containing pesticide, herbicide and toxic residues during their journeys. Factories and cities routinely release toxins into the air, thus only the remotest of hives can hope to maintain a pure habitat.

THE PROBLEM DEPICTED VIA A MAP:

Image Source: Scientific American

“The long reach of the superorganism: a typical foraging radius of a honey bee colony normally stays within five kilometers of the hive (marked by the red circle), but during times of dearth bees will fly more than twice as far in search of resources.”

WAX CONTAMINATION

Another contaminating factor is that many organic beekeepers purchase wax for their hives which could easily be contaminated with pesticides. Some speculate that organic beekeepers are indirectly introducing pesticides into their otherwise organic hives via contaminated commercial wax. And conventional beekeepers commonly use pesticides directly in their hives to control Varroa mites, a nasty parasite which attacks honey bees and can cause devastating disease.

“A survey of pesticide residues in beehives found that over 98% of them contained at least one pesticide. With such a large amount of wax contaminated, it’s likely that organic beekeepers that purchase commercially available wax will be unable to avoid these toxins.”

SWEET ILLUSION

Has organic honey become an oxymoron or is it just another comforting illusion?

“Organic honey isn’t impossible. It’s just beyond of the ability of most beekeepers. Bee yards situated in isolated spots deep in the Adirondacks, or mountain valleys in sparsely-populated New Mexico, can probably pull off honey free of agrochemicals. Most beekeepers operate within a bee’s flight of pesticides, however, making “organic” honey an illusory proposition.”

USDA TURNS A BLIND EYE

The USDA also plays a part in the widespread contamination of organic honey. Although the USDA tests for hundreds of pesticides in our food but it doesn’t test for glyphosate. Hmmm… that’s odd considering the most widely used herbicide in the world is GLYPHOSATE!

Apparently the USDA has not officially established any viable standards for organic honey.
What it boils down to is this: honey can be certified organic by the US government, but they have no regulations or specific standards that actually define organic honey.

From the USDA Rules and Regulations, “…honey does not require official inspection in order to carry official USDA grade marks…there are no existing programs that require the official inspection and certification of honey…”

ADDING INSULT TO INJURY FAKE HONEY ABOUNDS

Although FDA regulations require “honey” to contain pollen—the key ingredient that gives honey its health benefits, a recent report sponsored by Food Safety News (FSN) found that the majority of mass produced, honey contained no pollen whatsoever. ZILCH! The FSN report revealed that 76% of the honey sold in grocery stores had no pollen, and 77% of the honey found in big-box stores had no pollen.

PLEASE DON’T GIVE UP on REAL UNCONTAMINATED HONEY

There is some good news. Here’s the proverbial silver lining. When FSN tested honey from farmers markets, CO-OPS, and stores like Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods, the honey contained a full array of pollen, antioxidants and other important nutrients.

HERE’S WHAT YOU CAN DO

Purchase directly from honey purveyors at neighborhood farmers markets or buy directly from a local beekeeper, where it’s possible to obtain high quality, and real, raw honey. It’s always advisable to ask lots of questions about the bees, the hives, the types of honey available and how the honey was extracted and handled after extraction.

“The best method for determining the quality of honey produced in the USA is to know the local producer and ask them about their honey and production procedures.”

Last but not least demand that GMOs be banned. Remember glyposates and GMOs are bedfellows.

Paul Fassais a contributing staff writer for REALfarmacy.com. His pet peeves are the Medical Mafia’s control over health and the food industry and government regulatory agencies’ corruption. Paul’s valiant contributions to the health movement and global paradigm shift are world renowned. Visit his blog by following this link and follow him on Twitter here.